| Hungary - A feast of City Breaks |
Hungarian City Breaks
PANNONIA, DISTINCT DELICACIES AND SIGHTS
The innumerable small delights make this a loveable countryside. A baroque terrace in Sopron, the early morning bell ringing in Veszprém, the ancient highway's stone, worn silky smooth over time in Szombathely, the glitter of a green and gold tilled well in Pécs. In Kőszeg we can taste roasted chestnuts, in Villány we can drink kékoportó, in Lake Velence we can dine on roast fish, and can feast on wild boar pörkölt in Bakony. There isn't a region in Hungary which has this many tastes, colours, scents, that is as varied as Dunántúl, west Hungary. That is, Pannónia, a great place to take a city break. The region got its name two thousand years ago, when the Roman legions were stationed there.
The river was the border of the Roman Empire, which was guarded by emcampments stationed every 15-20 kilometres. Under the Romans, many settlements flourished, connected by the good road network. If we compare ancient maps with modern ones, we find that most of the ancient towns are still where they were founded back in Roman times. Today the region is still bordered in the east and north by the Danube; to the south is Croatia, Slovenia, and in the west is Austria. Lake Balaton, central Europe's largest fresh water lake lies within this region, and so we deal with seperately. Here we also find the region's largest castle, the gardening world's legendary hársfasor, the country's largest baroque palace, one of the world libraries, one of Europe's oldest continually inhabited settlements, the nation's very first Christian church, the country's most beautiful forest and the only intact castle from the Middle Ages. Here are made two famous Hungarian products, the porcelains of Herend and Zsolna.
Three sites are listed in the UNESCO World Heritage list, the convent at Pannonhalma, the catacombs of Pécs, and lake Fertő.
Here, everyone finds a destination to their tastes, be they sailors or rock climbers, those who crave city nightlife, or those who want to disappear in a small village.
In Pannónia, everything is possible, from fine dining, touring, swimming in clear waters, healing in thermal springs, to fishing, hunting, castle climbing, strolling in gardens, enjoying the wine trail and marveling at palaces. There's one thing that isn't possible in Pannónia, and that's being bored.
BUDAPEST CITY BREAK
Along with Paris, Budapest is one of the favourite City Breaks
Budapest looks its most beautiful at dawn. As the sun slowly rises over the eastern plains, bathing Pest in soft pastel hues, it radiates back from the buildings of Buda as if they were a giant mirror; the windows on Castle Hill positively glisten in golden jubilation.
But Budapest is also spectacularly appealing at night. The Chain Bridge is festooned with white lights, and the main public buildings like the Parliament, the Opera and the Royal Palace, as well as the entire panorama of the Castle District, are imaginatively and sensitively floodlit.
It's easy for Budapest to play with light in the manner of an elegant lady trying on her jewels, for everything looks good. This is a vibrant city: it throbs with life morning, noon and night; visitors arriving from other countries get the feeling that something interesting is happening round every corner.
There are plenty of other capital cities built on the banks of a river, and in many cases the river runs through the historic centre. But such a wide and majestic river, as is the Danube at Budapest, is more of a rarity. Even more exceptional is the perfect contrast between the right and left banks. Buda is built upon hills, the feet of two of them - Castle Hill and Gellért Hill - almost stand in the water. Facing it is Pest, as flat as a pancake (or, as a Hungarian might say, as flat as a "lángos", a pita-type bread popular for many a century).
It's no exaggeration to say that Budapest is one of the finest capital cities in Europe, and also one of the best situated. Among the several places in Hungary that have been afforded the classification of UNESCO World Heritage Site, the first were the Danube panorama (on the Buda side from the Gellért Hotel all along Castle Hill to Margaret Bridge, and on the Pest side from the Parliament back down to Petőfi Bridge), and Andrássy út (along its entire length from the centre of Pest to Heroes' Square, where the Millenary Monument stands on the edge of the City Park).
At the time of the Magyar Conquest in 896, the first Hungarian tribes settled in the plains to the east. They migrated to the hills further west later on to take advantage of the greater protection they offered. Buda became the royal seat in the thirteenth century and saw the court's rising status reflected in the building of ever more splendid palaces and the expansion of the town into a flowering middle class town. Pest at this time was a town of merchants and artisans.
In the history of Budapest the year 1872 stands out as a milestone, for it was then that the three separate settlements of Pest, Buda and Óbuda (literally "Old" Buda) were united. Budapest officially became the capital city of Hungary, and underwent rapid growth in size and eminence. This was the city's golden age, and coincided with the Hungarian millennial celebrations in 1896.
Budapest, now home to two million inhabitants, would appear countless times on any list of superlatives. The Continent's first underground railway was built here. From here originated more pioneering Hollywood film makers than from any other European city. Budapest was the home of such world class inventors as Kálmán Kandó, the father of electric railways, and János Irinyi, one of the early developers of matches. Hungary's two most celebrated composers - Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály - lived in Budapest, and Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian author Imre Kertész was born here.
Hungary's oldest academic library, the University Library, is to be found here. It is the location of Europe's largest synagogue. It is the only capital city in the world where there are more than one hundred hot thermal springs. There are no other cities of comparable size anywhere where visitors can explore dripstone (stalactite) caves in the middle of the residential districts.
It would be difficult to find another city where visitors are faced with such a choice of transport: bus, tram, trolleybus, train, underground railway, cogwheel railway, funicular, forest railway, horse-and-trap, chair-lift, boat, bicycle and on Margaret Island "bringóhintó" family cycle cars - Budapest has them all! Let's choose one, and set off in the World Heritage streets.
Later we'll go a little further, to see more unique and interesting things, as we visit some of the historical towns and beautiful countryside that lie just outside the capital.
BALATON
Lake Balaton The Ever Enticing City Break
Nobody quite knows who first declared themselves in love with Lake Balaton. Perhaps a poet, or a traveler, but it's a fact that from the start of the 19th Century onwards, more and more statements like this are recorded. First in beautiful prose, then in newspaper articles, nowadays in virtually everyday speech. For those who haven't been yet it is hard to understand the attraction to Lake Balaton. If we want to educate them, then for every question there is an answer.
Children wallow in the fabulous fun of wading in the shallow, warm, silky waters, and are only willing to be ordered out of the lake. Youths recall the all-night "big parties" of the hot summer evenings. For them, Lake Balaton is a world of meetings and new adventures. The nature lovers speak lovingly of the idyllic quiet of the Balaton's upper region, or of the flocks of startled water birds rising from the wetlands of the "Small Balaton". Painers and photographers rightfully believe Hungary's best panoramas are the hills that rise from the lake. Wine lovers sing the praises of the Kéknyelű from Badacsony, or the Italian reisling of Boglár, while gastonomes rave about the toothfish delicacies. The fishermen tell of metre-plus long fish, the yachtsmen of the racing boats bent over in the wind, the rheumatics of the healing powers of the Hévíz thermal baths, the music lovers of the Tihany organ recitals, the Opera fanciers of the Siófok opera galas.
The list goes on, but the flame of adulation would easily be lit by the first dozen testimonials. Come with us, and feel at home at Lake Balaton!
PUSZTA & LAKE TISZA CITY BREAKS
The Alföld, Protected Treasures, Distinctive Landscape
Almost everyone knows of it, but yet so few actually know it. The Alföld has given us such everyday terms such as puszta, paprika, csárda, and csikós, but only those understand their real meaning are those who visit this special place.
The Alföld is a place of legends, and legendary sights. The bird nature reserves its two counties contain, the Hortobágy and the Tisza lake, have made it onto the UNESCO world heritage list. Three national parks can be found within its boarders. Other sights include Europe's largest fruit producer, one of the Greek Catholic faith's oldest sites, Central Europe's biggest windmill, the plain's only medieval stone castle, Hungary's oldest railway station, and the world's second largest panorama painting.
The Alföld is bordered on the west by the Danube, and in the east by the Tisza. Hungary's second largest river has a different life to its nearest neighbour, the Danube. The Tisza has very little commercial boat traffic, but many touring boats. It has few bridges, but many ferries, in fact in 11 places simple boats provide a crossing. Just like in the olden days. You only have to stand on its banks once to understand why its been known for centuries as the fair or "blonde" Tisza. The very fine, almost unnoticeable sand grains floating in it give it its golden color. For its entire Hungarian length, these fine grains or fine pebbles transform its edges into a many a fine beach.
The sunshine is said to bathe in thermal waters in the southern Alföld, which has the country's highest amount of daylight hours. The famous thermal baths of this region back right onto each other. This wealth of sunshine also ripens such Hungarian produce as the golden peach, from which is made the barackpálinka of Kecskemét. Paprika, that most essential herb for Hungarian dishes such as pörkölt, halászlé gulyásleves, also grows here. The region's most notable produce is the red onion of Makó, which in the town of Makó itself is celebrated in builds like The Onionhouse, and The Tália house.
There isn't a region in Hungary which has as many events and festivals connected with gastronomy. Baja has its halászlé cooking folk festival, while in Pusztamérges they hold the Szeged district's halászlé cooking competition. In the Szatmár region they hold a plum jam making contest, while in Békéscsaba its salami, Bereg its gulyás, and this is not to mention the many wine tastings and events.
Only those who are only happy in the mountains can't find themselves something to their liking in the Alföld. Everyone else partakes in memorable events.
EGER-TOKAJ HILLY WINE REGION FOR CITY BREAKS
Every step is a new adventure
Here we find the country's highest mountain, and smallest village, the first Hungarian language bible from the 16th century, and the oldest railway from the 19th century. The world renowned Hungarian wine, the Tokaji aszú, ages in the cellars of this region, while one of Europe's most beautiful horse tracks and biggest cave systems is also found here. Three of Hungary's eight UNESCO listed world heritage sites can be found here.
To reach the northern Hungarian region's closest city, we only have to travel sixty kilometers from Budapest. If we want to see its farthest boundaries, then our journey will take us to the banks of the Tisza river. The region's southern border is the Alföld, while Slovakia borders it to the north. The region's castles from the Middle Ages, its 16th and 17th century palaces, numerous churches, villages famous for their folkloric traditions and handicrafts, as well as famous historic towns are cradled amongst the five mountain ranges that we find there, the Cserhát, Mátra, Bükk, Cserehát and Zemplén ranges.
Come exploring with us, in the region of -the most- and of distinct sights, where you will come to understand what it means where "Every step is a new city break adventure"!
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